Europe's Carfree Neighbourhoods - Could we Do it in Bristol
Steve Melia | 08.10.2010 11:27
Illustrated Talk October 20th 7.30pm, Cornubia pub
On October 20th at 7.30pm in the Cornubia pub, Carfree Bristol are hosting a presentation by Dr Steve Melia about the carfree neighbourhoods he visited on his cycle journeys around Europe between 2006 and 2008. The presentation will lead into a discussion about the potential for carfree neighbourhoods in Bristol.
On October 20th at 7.30pm in the Cornubia pub, Carfree Bristol are hosting a presentation by Dr Steve Melia about the carfree neighbourhoods he visited on his cycle journeys around Europe between 2006 and 2008. The presentation will lead into a discussion about the potential for carfree neighbourhoods in Bristol.
The larger neighbourhoods and smaller developments were mainly in Germany (Freiburg, Cologne, Hamburg) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Groningen). The largest, Vauban in Freiburg, is home to over 5,000 people. They typically have a small amount of peripheral parking, but traffic is banned in the areas where people live. Some small examples exist in Britain (Edinburgh and London). Although they are limited in scale compared to the European examples, two blocks on Bristol’s waterfront (Waverley and Balmoral House) were successfully developed and sold with no parking (and a small carfree area around them).
Steve, who is a Senior Lecturer at University of the West of England said:
“This will be a photographic presentation about my journeys and what I found. Several European countries, with higher car ownership than Britain, have shown how carfree neighbourhoods can be made to work. Wherever they have been built, they have become extremely popular places to live. Some of the residents were already carfree, others, particularly families with young children, gave up their cars to gain a better quality of urban life.
I was very lucky to spend the three summers of my PhD cycling across 7 countries, visiting these neighbourhoods, and several other cities which have tamed the scourge of traffic and pollution. We believe these ideas can be applied to Bristol, and we will be organising feasibility studies to see how this could be done.”
This will be the second meeting of Carfree Bristol, a social and campaigning group for people without cars. See: www.carfreebristol.org.uk.
ENDS
Several Photographs of the Carfree Areas are on: www.stevemelia.co.uk/carfreeareas.htm
Contacts: Steve Melia 07913 079314
Anja Dalton 07963 831882
On October 20th at 7.30pm in the Cornubia pub, Carfree Bristol are hosting a presentation by Dr Steve Melia about the carfree neighbourhoods he visited on his cycle journeys around Europe between 2006 and 2008. The presentation will lead into a discussion about the potential for carfree neighbourhoods in Bristol.
On October 20th at 7.30pm in the Cornubia pub, Carfree Bristol are hosting a presentation by Dr Steve Melia about the carfree neighbourhoods he visited on his cycle journeys around Europe between 2006 and 2008. The presentation will lead into a discussion about the potential for carfree neighbourhoods in Bristol.
The larger neighbourhoods and smaller developments were mainly in Germany (Freiburg, Cologne, Hamburg) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Groningen). The largest, Vauban in Freiburg, is home to over 5,000 people. They typically have a small amount of peripheral parking, but traffic is banned in the areas where people live. Some small examples exist in Britain (Edinburgh and London). Although they are limited in scale compared to the European examples, two blocks on Bristol’s waterfront (Waverley and Balmoral House) were successfully developed and sold with no parking (and a small carfree area around them).
Steve, who is a Senior Lecturer at University of the West of England said:
“This will be a photographic presentation about my journeys and what I found. Several European countries, with higher car ownership than Britain, have shown how carfree neighbourhoods can be made to work. Wherever they have been built, they have become extremely popular places to live. Some of the residents were already carfree, others, particularly families with young children, gave up their cars to gain a better quality of urban life.
I was very lucky to spend the three summers of my PhD cycling across 7 countries, visiting these neighbourhoods, and several other cities which have tamed the scourge of traffic and pollution. We believe these ideas can be applied to Bristol, and we will be organising feasibility studies to see how this could be done.”
This will be the second meeting of Carfree Bristol, a social and campaigning group for people without cars. See: www.carfreebristol.org.uk.
ENDS
Several Photographs of the Carfree Areas are on: www.stevemelia.co.uk/carfreeareas.htm
Contacts: Steve Melia 07913 079314
Anja Dalton 07963 831882
Steve Melia
Original article on IMC Bristol:
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/694264